Transfer Amex Points To British Airways Avios With 30% Bonus

In early August, the Amex Membership Rewards program in the United States rolled out a lucrative new transfer bonus. I wanted to post a reminder of this, as it will be expiring shortly, and I imagine many people will be interested in taking advantage of this, if they haven’t already.

30% transfer bonus from Amex to Avios

Through Monday, September 30, 2024, the US Amex Membership Rewards program is offering a 30% bonus when you transfer points to British Airways Executive Club.

The same transfer bonus is also being offered to Aer Lingus AerClub and Iberia Plus. Keep in mind that you can transfer Avios between the various “flavors” online at no cost, so this is also a way to acquire Avios with Finnair Plus and Qatar Airways Privilege Club.

Points ordinarily transfer at a 1:1 ratio, so during this promotion they transfer at a 1:1.3 ratio. Since the bonus is hardcoded into the transfer ratio, you can take advantage of this promotion multiple times. Transfers between the programs are generally instant.

Earn Amex Membership Rewards points with these cards:

• American Express® Gold Card
• American Express® Business Gold Card
• The Platinum Card® from American Express
• The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
• The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express

American Express® Gold Card

Learn More Terms Apply. | See Rates & Fees

• 4x points at restaurants, on up to $50,000 in purchases annually
• 4x points at U.S. supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases annually
• 3x points on flights booked directly with airlines or through amextravel.com
• $325

American Express® Business Gold Card

Learn More Terms Apply. | See Rates & Fees

• Access to Amex Offers
• Redeem Amex Points Towards Airfare
• $375

The Platinum Card® from American Express

Learn More Terms Apply. | See Rates & Fees

• Earn 5x points on flights purchased directly from airlines or through Amex Travel (up to $500k/year)
• $200 Annual Uber Credit
• Amex Centurion Lounge Access
• $695

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express

Learn More Terms Apply. | See Rates & Fees

• Earn 1.5x on purchases of $5,000 or more in a single transaction on up to $2MM per calendar year
• Redeem Points For Over 1.5 Cents Each Towards Airfare
• Amex Centurion Lounge Access
• $695

The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express

Learn More Terms Apply. | See Rates & Fees

• 2x points on purchases up to $50k then 1x
• Access to Amex Offers
• No annual fee

For what it’s worth, we haven’t seen such a transfer bonus in over a year, so it’s nice to see it return.

Is acquiring Avios with a 30% bonus worth it?

I think there’s huge value to be had in taking advantage of a 30% bonus on points transfers from Membership Rewards to Avios. That’s not because of any one particular redemption opportunity, but rather because of the collective value of the Avios ecosystem.

Back in the day, the best uses of British Airways Avios were for short haul travel on partner airlines, including on Alaska and American. Unfortunately those redemption opportunities have been devalued horribly.

However, lots of great new options using Avios have emerged. For example, I love how Qatar Airways Privilege Club is now an Avios airline, as this opens up some great opportunities:

• Qatar Airways has one of the world’s best business class products, and the airline makes a vast majority of business class award space available only to those redeeming Avios
• Qatar Airways Privilege Club has some unique partner redemption opportunities, like being able to fly JetBlue Mint across the Atlantic for 78,000 Avios (so with a 30% bonus, that would be just 60,000 Amex points)

Anyway, there’s a ton of potential value here, so see my guides to maximizing Avios with British Airways Executive Club, Iberia Plus, Aer Lingus Aer Club, Qatar Airways Privilege Club, and Finnair Plus.

There are lots of ways to earn Avios

While a 30% bonus on transfers from Amex to British Airways is a good deal, I just want to point out the other ways to earn British Airways Avios. British Airways Executive Club partners with multiple transferable points currencies, including Amex Membership Rewards, Capital One, and Chase Ultimate Rewards.

On top of that, there are three credit cards issued in the US that earn Avios:

• Aer Lingus Visa Signature^® Card (review)
• British Airways Visa Signature® Card (review)
• Iberia Visa Signature^® Card (review)

Lastly, British Airways Executive Club often sells Avios with a bonus.

Bottom line

At the moment, the US Amex Membership Rewards program is offering a 30% bonus on points transfers to British Airways Executive Club, Iberia Plus, and Aer Lingus AerClub. This is the first time in over a year that we’ve seen such a transfer bonus.

While British Airways Executive Club isn’t as useful for partner redemptions as it used to be, I still think this could be worth a speculative transfer. There are five different Avios currencies that are all valuable in their own way, so this opens up a lot of redemption opportunities, including on Qatar Airways.

Do you plan on converting Amex points into Avios with this bonus?